http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Switzerland , North-West , Lucerne en-us Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:35:43 +0000 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:35:43 +0000 Day 12 Tuesday December 8th 2009Lucerne SwitzerlandMorning has broken like the first morning. From our hotel room window we're able to see some of the mountains and already I'm in love. While our hotel is in Lucerne we are a ways away from the hub of it so we get back on the bus and it takes us into town. This is something we will soon get use to because Contiki saves us money by booking http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-460550.html Day 11 Monday December 7th 2009Paris France to Lucerne SwitzerlandEditors note This has been a whirlwind tour so I am now writing the blogs from December 7th 17th today December 18th as we drive from Munich to Vienna. Needles to say I'm sure there are many things I've forgotten. Oh well.This was a loooong driving day. The country side was pretty so that helped but the only thing to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-460546.html LucerneFirst of all the train ride to Lucerne was the most beautiful ride on which I have ever been. Switzerland is SO SO beautiful Everything was so green and the small towns in the hills are adorable. There was a gorgeous waterfall around each turn and the whole time we were riding towards the incredible snowcovered Swiss Alps. I could not wait to get off the train and take some pics Cheese http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-446480.html Sonntag den 4.Oktober war es endlich so weit. Mein GapYear hat offiziell begonnenNach einer langen laaangen Partynacht mit Jasi Mia Rono etc. sa ich vllig erledigt um 9h40 im Zug in Richtung Schweiz. Die Zugfahrt in meine neuerrungene Freiheit.Traurigerweise hab ich auch in diesem Zug erfahren dass ein Mensch der mir sehr wichtig ist leider bei einem Unfall tdlich verunglckt ist.So sch http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-443462.html Wow the drive from Austria to Switzerland was amazing through the Alps and amazing scenery it was a long driving day which included the stop in Liechtenstein but it was worth it for the scenery alone. Switzerland was beautiful to say the least. We took in a local show for dinner which included yours truly playing the alpine horn check out Facebook but thanks to my Aboboriginal heritage it w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-443239.html Church bells ring for 5 minutes straight at 7AM in Switzerland apparently...hahah. We got up pretty early and had a great breakfast at the place where we are staying. It is a really cool old house and the woman who runs it Evelyn has been very helpful. The breakfast was good. Swiss cheese is better in Switzerland I think I hate it at home. We took a cable car up to Mt. Pilatus in the mor http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-439442.html Sorry I haven't been able to update this thing. The place that we stayed in Munich didn't have internet. On Sunday we went to Rothenburg which was great. It is a medieval walled town that is one of the best preserved anywhere. It is only about an hour and a half drive from Veronika's hometown. We spent a lot of time on the Autobahn and here's what I have observed about German driving1If p http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-439231.html Author's note This one is still incomplete. I've now posted a few more pictures but I'm waiting for some pictures from David. Whenif I get them I'll repost.Irsquoll just come right out and say it. I had a blast today. All the stars were aligned for a great day on the road majestic scenery interesting people beautiful weatherhellipThe day started out at the low point with my training run. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-438533.html Not much new today. It took 12 hours and four trains to get me to Lucerne but I made it tonight. Only one problem I left my lightweight jacket on one of the trains. Not smart since Irsquom heading into much cooler weather.I finished The Lost Symbol on my last train. Good but not as good as the last two Dan Brown books.Tomorrow the weather better be nice. I have breathtaking views to take in. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-438001.html The gentle clang of cowbells reverberated across the mountain valley echoing off the steep rocky cliffs towering above us. I smiled and thought Swiss cows really do wear bells around their necks. I spotted a few of these mellow creatures ambling along a grassy ridge above our trail a few more down by the clear green lake below us. The morning sun already warm drenched the scene in vivid l http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-432994.html 17 August 2009The days are still warm sunny and dry. Even in Lucerne it is 31 degrees and the local pass time seems to revolve around the water with scores of people at lsquobeachesrsquo along the lake swimming and sunbaking and some sensational motor boats and small sail boats.Our day started early however getting out to catch the first gondolas to Mt Pilatus. These were gondolas of the air http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-431041.html 16 August 2009Our last day in Italia everything will change again as we head into Switzerland.The first stop will be Pisa to see the Leaning Tower and thatrsquos about it really. The trip from Florence west to Pisa on the coast is 85 km according to my Michelin tour guide but 80 km according to Fabio the most stylish bus driver in the whole world must be a short cut known only to Italian bu http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-431025.html Ah Switzerland in summer A land of lush green hills beautiful turquoise lakes snow covered Alps umpteen waterfalls melting glaciers cute looking villages cows with bells chocolates mountain trains cable cars gondolas and pictureperfect postcard scenery all around. And of course clouds and some rain tooAfter spending a little over 5 days in Paris I took the TGV to Bern. It was about 4 http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-423253.html After leaving Colmar in Alsace we made our way south to Switzerland. First stop to pay the highway tax in Basel. If you don't pay it you end up hours on small roads and I'm not sure this is a great idea with two wonderful monsters sitting in the back of the car. I need to point that so far they have been impressive and well behave at the back of the car...I'm wondering what is the real effect http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-422765.html Der grosse Tag ist gekommen. Heute um 19.10 fliege ich mit Finnair nach Helsinki und von da aus nach Bangkok. Ich werde Morgen um 13.30 Uhr in Thailand ankommen hier wird es dann halb 8 morgens sein. Wie ich von Bangkok nach Kambodscha komme weiss ich noch nicht so genau ich denke ich werde 12 Tage in Thailand bleiben und dann einen Billigflug nach Phnom Penh nehmen. Am nchsten Montag werde i http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-418077.html We arrived in Lucerne after an 11 hour long bus ride from Paris and were immediately taken to a memorial in honor of the Swiss guards who defended Marie Antoinette and then for some reason the watch warehouse Bucherer.Mom and I walked around town its small checked out the Kapelbrucke and admired the pretty swans. We also witnessed a Chinese rolex buying frenzy at Bucherer apparently communi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-417294.html OK good times in Greece but good to be out of the Aegean and on to new places. Munich was Munich. Not a bad city but nothing really special. Not trying to offend anyone out there but it is what it is. Had a beer at the Hauphbrauhaus or however you spell it but went out to a local beer hall with some people in the hostel that was a lot better with no tourists. Had my first purple cabbage http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-414831.html LucerneInterlakenZrich http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-414550.html We are now in Switzerland. After a bit of a faux pas. Kay abd Dave weren not able to get off the train at our first stop. We were on the platform and the doors closed and off they went to Zug. AhhhhhThey did buy tickets back to where we were and we ALL went to Lucerne. But let me back up. We toured Pompeii and marveled at the oldness of the ruins. The day was hot so were glad for th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-411536.html My title for this blog entry doesn't even begin to express what we thought of Lucerne Switzerland. This was our second smaller city stop Cologne was the first but it was very different than anything we'd ever seen before. I'm beginning to see a trend during our backpacking.Lucerne is described as the stereotypical Swiss city. It's right on Lake Lucerne and is surrounded by the Swiss alps. Walk http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Lucerne/blog-406216.html